Scrollsaw or bandsaw?

Sean Farrell

I make boxes like this see attachment..at least i used to when I had access to a bandsaw. To make the plinth base at the bottom of the box I used a band saw..the material used is 25mm x 25mm MDF. I have a scrollsaw in the garage and tried using it to cut the plinth curve design with little success...the scroll blade snapped off when I put the 25mm sq. mdf up to it. Am I wasting my time with the scrollsaw or is my technique not right, could i get a stronger blade..or will I be just go out and get a 200 euro bandsaw? Would be grateful for peoples opinion/advice.

recipio

25 mm is pushing your luck with a scrollsaw. A bandsaw with a 1/8" blade would be far better.However you would still end up with a roughly sawn profile.
I'd make a template out of MDF and rout with a bearing guided cutter.You would still have to finish with sharp hand tools and sandpaper. I bought a 1/4" spiral bearing guided cutter from a US website to do this kind if work.

Sean Farrell

Good idea with the bearing guided template router bit. I have a bit similar to ur one but its not spiral. From my knowledge spiral cutters let u plunge into stock with ease. I'll rough cut the 25mm sq mdf with my jigsaw and then trim with the template cutter with the template on top of course. Might be a bit awkward as i dont have a router table ,I will have to do it with a hand held router and the mdf is only 1" square. guess i'll use some other1" stock under the router to stop it tilting. to get the perfect"baby's bottom shape on the plinth i would need to use a sharp chisel to get around the awkard hard to get at parts. I'll give it a go and get back to u on how i got on. thanks for the advice recipio

recipio

Not with you with the 1" square mdf. Are you not making the plinth bottoms for the clock/box ? They look about 10 -12 " long.
My spiral bit is bottom bearing guided so I just stick the template on the bottom of the stock being routed with some double sided tape.
An old trick when making a template is to fold a piece of cardboard in two, draw and cut your shape, then unfold for a perfectly symmetrical profile.Transfer to some 6mm mdf and cut and sand to refine the shape.

Sean Farrell

Hi recipio, I attached some photos to give u a clearer idea of the mdf I'm using. I made the template ..not exactly great but i'll see how i get on with it. The photo shows the 25mmX 25mm mdf stock, 18mm X 18mm mdf to build up the plinth. u can also see the template router bit Im using. What I will do is rough cut the outline of the design on the 25mm stock with the jigsaw then attach the template onto the stock and finish off the job with the router and bit. Any ideas of how to stop the jigsaw and router from slipping with the 25mm square stock would be appreciated..there is a jig out there that will help me there has to be!

Sean Farrell

A few more photos to give u the idea. again I dont have a router table..well i made up a simple one with a piece of wood as a fence..was wondering if i could use it with the template router bit to make the plinth sides. I'm a bit concerned as there is no safety guard around the bit and I think I need a lead in pin to feed the stock..a bit dodgy I think

Sean Farrell

Got mixed up with my photos ..sorry ..this one has the 25mm mdf with the template and template bit..sorry about that.

recipio

Sean,
good photos. I see what you are trying to do. I take it you don't have a band saw ? its best to saw out the waste first - routing it by taking little 'bites' will work but will cover you and the workshop with a lot of nasty MDF dust. A coping saw with a new blade will work quiet well.
The router bit should be as small as possible to get into the curves ( they go down to about 6mm with a bearing ). MDF is hard on edges so either get a new one or use a small diamond file ( see www.wealdentool.co.uk ) to hone the one you have.You should support the router by using a piece of 25mm mdf to stop it tilting, and the whole thing should allow the router bit to project a little below the edge of the workpiece.Lastly , I see a few dents in the template - I'm afraid any slight dent will transfer on the workpiece so its worth sanding them out. You don't need a router table to do this - it just makes life a bit easier !

Sean Farrell

I had a go a few times at making the plinth template. The last one has less sharp curves making it easier for the template router bit to follow.

Sean Farrell

I marked out the template on each plinth side and then see next photo...I rough cut the waste on each side,,well this was my first attemt so i was using a spare in case i messed up...never realised how tedious using a coping saw was...just need getting used to I suppose.

Sean Farrell

Nearly there!

Sean Farrell

I then attached the template to the roughed out plinth side and used the only template bit i could get my hands on..it worked pretty well i think.

Sean Farrell

here we have the the plinth side after a going over by the template bit..a nice finish.

Sean Farrell

so just four more of those to do using the same method:mad:...somebody please give me a bandsaw or I'll crack up with !!! oh well got the worst of it done with...lots of time to do this little project. U can be sure that I will be posting photos of the finished product in the future.

Sean Farrell

2nd time around uploading this..i took on Recipio's suggestion with the coping saw...I had several goes at making the template for the plinth...the final one has less sharp curves making it easier for the template router bit I have to follow. I hope this uploads to the thread ..spent a whole hour uploading phots late last nite and nothing appears:mad:

Sean Farrell

I'm having problems here posting attachments on this thread...can a moderator explain whats happening to my posts

Sean Farrell

Another photo to add to the pot...the template and plinth side aftera run thru with the router bit.

Boards.ie: Niamh

Sean Farrell wrote: »

I'm having problems here posting attachments on this thread...can a moderator explain whats happening to my posts

Since you have less than 50 posts a Moderator has to approve any posts with images, attachments or links at the moment.

recipio

Sean Farrell wrote: »

Another photo to add to the pot...the template and plinth side aftera run thru with the router bit.

Well done. Forgot to say a jigsaw would work as well for cutting out the waste.
The curves are fairly gentle so the router bit should cut most of the profile.
If you were using thinner stock eg 6mm the trick is to stick all 4 together with double sided tape and rout all 4 together.
MDF is ok for a painted finish but you would find a close grained wood like maple would give a really crisp finish.

Sean Farrell

I would find using a jigsaw a little bit tricky for cutting out the waste, using the coping saw although laborious did a finer job and the coping saw workout has made me the proud owner of highly developed forearms like Popeye.some clever fellow will make a fitness video out of thatand I would'nt be surprised if there was a big market for it. out there.Because there was another part of the plinth mounted on top I really could'nt use thinner mdf stock to begin with..It would have been nice to template rout all 4 sides in one go thou. I wanted to put a photo up again to give a better idea of things but I dont seem able to at the moment. Later on maybe!